Chapter 1) Spark

For my sixteenth birthday, my mom bought me a journal. It's been a few months, but better late than never, right? So, I'm Blake! Sixteen years old and (former) bully hunter. I have two awesome childhood friends, Cheren and Bianca, and the three of us vowed to start our Pokemon journey together. Between Mom's worrying and Bianca's Dad's overprotectiveness, Cheren said we should wait until we're all sixteen. By law, we'd be considered 'adults', and would be going off on our own anyway. Which is why I begin this journal today. Bianca turned sixteen a few days ago, meaning we'll finally head take those first steps.

...I wish Dad was here. He would've convinced our parents to let us go sooner…

I hummed as I read, curled up on a pillow chair by the window. I adored reading more than just about anything, and this was one of my favorites. It was a story based on the myth of the Twin Heroes, adding names and personalities to the legend. Their tale always fascinated me. I hated the Hero of Ideals, though. After all, idealism was a child's way of seeing the world. Or the ignorant. He was whiny in every rendition. The Hero of Truth was much cooler, keeping calm and stoic under all circumstances.

"Blake!" Mom's voice drifted up, and the sound of footsteps told me she was coming over, so reading time was likely over for the day. "Safe to come in?" she teased, opening the door. She carried a box with an eye-popping green ribbon. "You got a gift from Professor Juniper!"

"I… what?" I replied, startled. I set my book down and moved to clear off my table, so she could set it down. "Why?"

"Well, your Pokemon, of course!" She giggled, and pulled the ribbon to open the box up, revealing three Pokeballs. "See?"

"She's weird." I tried to figure out why Professor Juniper left a box on my doorstep. I'd figured we'd go to her lab for Pokemon. "And she even had a note?" I picked it up and scanned over the words, sighing. "She's just trying to be all cool and mature, since she fails so often at it."

"Blake!" Mom shook her head. "Well, I called Cheren and Bianca's places, so they'll be over before long." The doorbell rang right then. "Ah, who could that be?"

"Cheren, likely, since he's the only one in town to ring anyone's doorbells. Unless you were expecting a delivery?"

"No, not today. I'll send him up." She kissed my cheek and gave me a brief hug before skipping down the stairs, humming all the while.

It wasn't long at all that I heard Cheren's quick footsteps approach my bedroom. He paused just long enough to knock before coming in. "So, they're here?" he asked me. He tried to sound calm and cool, but his eyes sparkled. Out of the three of us, he'd wanted to be a trainer the longest. "The Pokemon?"

"Yeah," I answered, pointing to the Pokeballs in the box. He peered at them, a smile splitting his face. "Excited?"

"Yes." He shook his head and glanced around, eyes narrowed. "Bianca is…?"

"Give her a break, Cheren." I stuck my tongue out and hid the box behind me. "This thing literally just arrived."

"Yes, but she lives closer to you than me."

"She also trips a lot more. Some days I wonder if she's a bit nearsighted."

"Hmm, maybe. That is a line of thought to consider." He glanced at the door as some uneven footsteps approached. "Ah, there she is now."

"Soooooory~!" Bianca called as she tripped into the room. She looked like she'd tried to finish dressing as she'd run. "I'm here!" She smiled sweetly, and I subtly pointed to my wall mirror as a hint that she should check her buttons. "Oh, I did it again."

"Bianca, I've known you for years, so I stopped expecting you to be on time," Cheren deadpanned. He crossed his arms as Bianca went to the mirror to fix her appearance. "But this is the day we finally get our Pokemon!"

"I know!" She turned around again, fixing her hat. "But I was in the middle of this really good episode of-"

"A soap opera."

"A romantic drama!"

"Guys, do we want the Pokemon?" I interrupted, mostly because the two would argue in circles over Bianca's love of soap operas. Both of them immediately focused and I laughed. "Okay, I'm going to release them now!" I reached into the box and threw the three Pokeballs.

They materialized in a little flash of light, revealing the three 'Starter' Pokemon of Unova, special Pokemon given to beginning trainers by Pokemon Professors in exchange for helping them with their research. I'd heard all the regions had their own trio, but all of them were Fire, Water, and Grass types.

I wondered if other regions had Starters as cute as the Unovan ones, because they were so cute~! Tepig, Snivy, and Oshawott. All of them toddled about my room, glancing at everything at the room, while ignoring the three teenagers sitting on the floor and cooing over them.

"So, how should we go about choosing?" Cheren asked after a moment, coughing in embarrassment. Bianca and I snickered, but he dutifully ignored us. "One for each of us, of course, but who goes first?"

"Well, I think Blake should go first," Bianca declared. She clapped her hands together and smiled as I looked at her worriedly. "You're the best of us in making tough decisions, and this is a super tough one!"

"Sure, leave it all on me," I playfully complained. Still, both of them laughed and smiled so I sighed, and studied the three Pokemon, who were now staring at us curiously. "Then, how about you?" I picked up Oshawott and laughed as he squealed. "What do you say? You wanna stick with me?" He wiggled out of my arms to land on my face. "Oof!" I fell back on my back, while Oshawott did whatever his equivalent of giggling was. "I'm being mocked by a Pokemon." I scowled as I sat back up, but Oshawott toddled into my lap and curled into it. "But I guess you're cute enough to let that slide."

"Okay!" Bianca giggled and picked up Tepig. "So, I'll take Tepig and Cheren can have Snivy!"

"Ah, yes, let's give Cheren the smug one! It suits him perfectly!"

"I'm right here," Cheren deadpanned. Still, he smiled as Snivy walked over to him and hopped into his lap. "Still, I was leaning towards Snivy."

"And that's why you should just always listen to us!" I teased. "Girls are always right!" Oshawott stood up and nodded vigorously. "See? He agrees."

"Oh, I just got a great idea!" Bianca squealed. She hopped to her feet and pointed dramatically at me. "Blake! Let's have a Pokemon battle!"

"In my room?"

"Oh, they're just starting out, so they're weaker." She bounced on her toes. "Come on! We used to pretend-play this all the time!"

"Well, true." With a shrug, I looked to Oshawott. "What do you say?" Oshawott got a determined look on his face. "That's a yes!" I stood up and Oshawott stood in front of me, fur sticking up slightly. "Shall we?"

"Yes!" Bianca grinned. "Cheren?"

"Oh, brother," Cheren sighed as he went to the staircase to get out of the way. His Snivy sat on his shoulder, perfectly content in watching. "All right. One… two… three… go!"

"Oshawott, tackle!" I ordered, just as the trainers of TV would do. Oshawott voiced an agreement and tackled Tepig into a wall. "All right!"

"Eek!" Bianca squeaked. She flinched back like she was the one struck. "Ouch, I won't let you get away with that!"

"Just try and stop us, Bi!"

"Well… uh… Tepig, tackle!" Her Tepig gave a cute little cry, almost like he was trying to roar, and tackled Oshawott. But Oshawott flipped through the air and landed on my bed. "Don't let up!"

"Don't let them get the advantage!" Oshawott yipped and jumped from my bed to avoid Tepig's next tackle, bouncing off the wall to land behind Tepig. "Now! Tackle!" Oshawott actually bounced once before tackling, catching Tepig as he tried to get his bearing. Instead, Oshawott sent Tepig into the ceiling!

"Oh, Tepig!" Tepig hit the ground and looked a little dazed as he struggled to his feet. But he tackled Oshawott as he jumped down from the bed and knocked him into some bookshelves. "Whoa!"

"Oshawott!" Oshawott emerged from the fallen books, shaking his head. "You okay?" He nodded and basically grinned. "All right! One more time! Tackle!"

"Tepig, tackle!"

Both Pokemon struck each other at the same time, but Oshawott hit with a little more speed and Tepig was sent back into my gaming system, and then into my shelf of video games. They all fell on the poor thing, who didn't seem in a hurry to get up afterwards.

"Oh, Tepig!" Bianca gasped, running over to him. She picked him out of the mess and cuddled him against her chest. "Are you okay?" Tepig groaned, but licked her cheek. "Thank goodness." She stood up, and smiled at me. "Wow, that was so cool, Blake! Your Oshawott is awesome!"

"Isn't he?" I cooed, picking him up high over my head and spinning. He chortled, perfectly pleased with himself. "Aw, who's a good Pokemon~? You are!"

"Are you two just going to ignore the state of the room?" Cheren deadpanned, drawing both Bianca and I out of our post-battle-reverie. At which point it did, in fact, become obvious. My room was all but totalled. "Honestly, you guys."

"Well, damn." I walked around the room, finally noticing how my bed was damaged, there was an imprint on my ceiling, my shelves were all knocked over… "Oh, hey, my game system is fine."

"Of course it is." Cheren sighed, and came over, pulling a potion from his pocket. "Come on. Let's tend to them."

"Why was that in your pocket?"

"...Er…"

"Oh! I bet you wanted to battle too!" Bianca laughed, figuring it out. Cheren flushed in embarrassment anyway. "Go on and heal Oshawott first. I don't think Tepig is up for another one."

"But my Oshawott is!" I agreed. I snatched the potion from him and gently sprayed it on Oshawott. He flinched from it, but I held him still and fingercombed it through his fur. The injuries faded before my eyes. "Oh, wow, this stuff is awesome!"

"I'm not so sure we should battle," Cheren mumbled. He glanced up at ceiling dubiously. "There are light fixtures."

"Oh, come on, Cheren!" I gave him my best Lillipup eyes. "It's not like this place can get any messier!"

"Well…" He sighed, and smiled sheepishly. "I… do really want to battle."

"Then let's do this!" I jumped back to put some distance between us, and Oshawott followed me, ready and eager to battle. "Come at me!"

"Oh, that sounds intelligent." Still, he stepped back to widen the distance further and Snivy jumped down to the floor. "Whatever. Everything starts here!"

"Precisely, so let's go-go-go!" I slashed the air, really getting into all of this. "Oshawott, Tackle!" He did so, and sent Snivy back, scratching the floorboards. "All right!"

"Snivy, use Leer!" Snivy's eyes glowed red briefly and Oshawott flinched back. "Now, Tackle!"

"The hell did that do?" I yelped as Oshawott was sent flying by Snivy's tackle. "Okay, apparently that helps you hit harder?"

"Leer intimidates the opponent and opens up their guard, lowering their defense."

"Oh, sure, be a smartypants!" I danced in place as Oshawott teetered to his feet. "You still good?" Oshawott looked almost insulted I even asked. "Well, all right, Tackle!"

"You can't just keep using the same move."

"It's not like we have a lot of variety! Especially when it's a Water versus a Grass!" Still, I cheered as Oshawott landed a solid tackle on Snivy. "Yay! You go!"

"Snivy, Tackle!" Snivy twisted around as he skidded back and used the momentum to launch himself at Oshawott. Oshawott cried out in pain and stumbled back. "All right, just one more!"

"Oshawott, Tackle!" I held my breath as Oshawott endured another Tackle from Snivy, and catch Snivy, spinning him around before jumping back and Tackling Snivy.

Then all I could do was watch in horror as Snivy flew straight into my vanity mirror. The sound of shattering glasses sounded almost unnaturally loud as Snivy bounced off my vanity table, scattering my make-up, and hit the ground hard.

A long, awkward silence fell as Cheren ran to his Snivy. While he checked him over, I fidgeted, concerned that I'd hurt-hurt the poor thing. Bianca looked worried, and Tepig looked curious. Oshawott looked far, far too pleased with himself.

"I… think Oshawott scored a crit," I noted at last as Cheren stood, Snivy in his arms. "Please tell me your Snivy is okay?"

"Yeah, he is," Cheren reassured. He made a face, though. "Though, he's as frustrated as I am. We lost the battle."

"Well, yeah, Oshawott sent the poor thing into glass!" I snatched up Oshawott, checking him over for injuries. Aside from some bruising, though, I found nothing. "So, what's the saying? Bad luck for breaking a mirror?"

"It is, but I wonder who has the bad luck. Snivy's crash broke it, but it was only because of Oshawott's Tackle, given at your command." He glanced around and sighed. "I… think we'd better clean up, though."

"Yeah." I looked around again, grimacing as I noticed just how… bad the mess was and then glanced up at the ceiling. "Oh, this is going to be a pain. Bi, you mind making sure I don't break my neck while I clean Tepig's outline off?"

"Sure, no problem," Bianca reassured. She smiled sweetly as she ran into the closet to fetch my dustpan and broom. "Oh, maybe the Pokemon can help us!"

"I think they can just rest and be cute on my bed, as a reward for some job well dones," I retorted. I set Oshawott on it for emphasis and laughed as he instantly spun and wrapped the blankets around him. "Oh, so you like the blanket? I wonder if it's because it's warm and soft, or if it smells nice?" I shook my head and used a different corner of the blanket to tuck Snivy in when Cheren set him down. "Come on, Bi, bring Tepig over here. They'll nap together, like we did when we were three, and then we'll clean."

"Okay~!"

"I'm really sorry about all of that!" I said really fast as Mom and I threw away the last of the glass. She'd come in halfway through our cleaning and chased Cheren and Bianca out of the house to seize control of tidying my room. "Really!"

"Oh, dear, don't fret so much," Mom reassured. She dusted her hands off and gave me a hug. "Did you have fun?"

"Yes."

"Then, truthfully, I am only mad about the vanity. We did just buy that last year and glass isn't fun to sweep." She tapped my nose and I made a face. "But enough of that. I have to finish lunch, and Maggie needs reassurance."

"Okay." Smiling, I waved her goodbye and headed into Maggie's room, a little side-room right off of the living room. Inside, Maggie was resting on some pillows, absently playing with Oshawott. She looked up when I came in, though, and crooned at me, batting at her pillow to tell me to come closer.

Most people were afraid of Maggie, because she was a Hydreigon, known as the 'Brutal Pokemon' and with thousands of bloody stories associated with the species. But I'd known Maggie all my life; she had been Dad's partner right up until his death and she was protective of both Mom and me. So, I skipped over and hugged her tightly, giggling as she picked some dust out of my hair.

"So, are you two getting along?" I asked. Maggie nodded, and went back to teasing Oshawott, who was very determined to catch her arm-head-things. "Good~ He's mine." She nodded again, and gave me a curious look. "Oh, you want his name?" She nodded once more and I hummed in thought. "That's a good question." I picked up Oshawott and set him on my lap. "You want a nickname?" Oshawott eagerly nodded, resting his paws on my stomach as he looked up at me pleadingly. "Okay, so… a name… a name…" I thought of one of the names from the Tale of the Heroes I was reading, and thought of the Kantan man who appeared in it, though I hadn't read yet why someone from Kanto was in mythic Unova. "How about Kenshin?" Oshawott squealed, climbing up my chest to nuzzle my cheek. "I think you like it~!"

"Goodness, don't you look cozy?" Mom laughed as she poked her head in. Her eyes softened as she looked at me. "Goodness…"

"What's wrong?" I asked, looking at her worriedly. "Did I forget something?"

""No, no." She shook her head. "I was simply… amazed by how much you look like Lucius."

"Like Dad?" I gave her a skeptical look. "You sure you're not just seeing things?" Everyone in town mentioned how Mom and I looked alike. We were the same height, and had the same coloring.

"It's the eyes, mainly."

"They're the same color as yours, Mom."

"The kindness in them is not mine."

"Being kind didn't keep Dad from dying before I could really remember him." I bit my lip as she winced. "Sorry…"

"No, you're right. It didn't keep him from dying…" She sighed, shaking her head. "It's been over ten years, yet…"

"I remember." It was one of my first memories. Dad had gone to Nimbasa City on business, and died in some 'accident' by Lostlorn Forest. I'd been three at the time, and had eagerly answered the door every time it opened, hoping my daddy would be coming back. Only one day, scary people in uniforms came in to tell me he'd never come 'home' again. "The official report is such bullshit."

"Now, now, Blake…"

"It is!" It was just listed as an 'accident', but it wasn't as if the police had told us anything about it! What had his injuries been? What had killed him? There were so many questions, and they wouldn't tell us a damn thing! I just wanted the truth of what happened. I wanted the truth about how he died. It was fine if it really was an 'accident'. But I wanted the truth.

Maybe I could get it now. I was a Pokemon Trainer. I was going on a journey. Maybe I could find it.

"Blake, it'll be a bit until lunch is done," Mom murmured, forcing herself to smile and firmly changing the subject. "Why don't you play the flute a bit? Or piano?"

"Sure," I agreed instantly, accepting the subject change. It softened her smile into something real. "Got a request?"

"No, I just love hearing you play, dear. Play what you want."

"Okay."

After playing for a bit, and eating, I left the house to head to Professor Juniper's lab. However, while Cheren was already there, Bianca wasn't. A quick discussion later, and I headed for her house while Cheren remained at the Lab, just in case.

All of this led to me catching the tail end of Bianca's dad blowing up over the idea of Bianca going on a journey, and Bianca running out of the house in tears. I caught her before she ran too far and helped her off the path, rubbing her back as she hiccuped and tried to stop crying.

"I can go, right?" she gasped out. I didn't reply, knowing she didn't want one. "Sure, he just wants me to be safe, but I can't stay, Blake! I can't!"

"No, you can't," I murmured. She really couldn't. Her dad might love her, but his overprotectiveness was suffocating her. "That's why you'll leave with us. That's why we waited until we were sixteen. Legally, he can't stop you."

"But he said-"

"I know. But I'm right here, telling you that you can do it. Because I know you can." I smiled at her as she finally looked up. "We'll go together and have the time of our lives!"

"Y-yeah…" She hiccuped again and rubbed roughly at her eyes. "Oh, I look like a wreck…"

"It's a windy day. If anyone asks, we can just say some dust got blown into your eyes." I gave her a hug as she managed a wobbly laugh. "Come on. Cheren's waiting."

"Right…" She nodded and slapped her cheeks a bit. "Okay, I'm… I'm ready." She paused and looked at me. "Did… he say anything about his parents? He's been having trouble, right?"

"Well, he's said nothing, but I'm going to assume that means things are as usual." Meaning that Cheren's mom was loving, but overworked, and his dad was being a workaholic who ignored both her and him. "But we'd better…"

"Not ask unless he's extra cranky." She nodded, this time a little more confident. "Let's go!"

"Right behind you, Bi." I smiled and followed her back on the path and the two of us finally met Cheren at the Lab.

He took one look at Bianca and instantly gave her a hug. That almost sent her into sobs again, but he held her as she managed to calm down and I stood protectively near, fingers twitching every time I saw someone pass. If Bianca's dad came by, I honestly might've punched him. No one messed with my friends.

But, luckily for everyone, he didn't, and, when Bianca calmed again, the three of us entered the Lab at last and headed into the back room where Professor Juniper often took her breaks. As we expected, she was there, smiling. She made no comment on how we were late; I saw how her eyes focused on Bianca's red-rimmed eyes and knew she'd put the pieces together.

"Welcome, everyone!" she greeted instead. "I'm glad you all could make it. My name is-"

"Professor Juniper, we've known you all our lives," I interrupted, rolling my eyes. "I think we know your name by now."

"Now, now, this is a big moment! So, we must be formal!"

"So, those boring things that people do to draw out the simplest things."

"You, hush." She sighed, shaking her head. "Oh, I lost my place."

"Success!" I laughed, and Bianca and Cheren were only a second behind me. Professor Juniper held out for a second longer before laughing too. "So, you needed us here?"

"Ah, yes." She smiled. "But first, do you mind showing your Pokemon? I want to see who picked who." The three of us obliged and she laughed, nodding. "Aha! Exactly as I expected!" She crouched down and studied the Pokemon, petting them and scratching them behind the ear. "Interesting…" She glanced up at us. "Did you guys already battle with them?"

"We did," Cheren confirmed. He and Bianca glanced at me and I could only sigh. "We made a mess of Blake's room, though."

"Now, why didn't you all just go outside?" she asked. I knew my expression blanked as the idea hadn't even occurred to me. "Did you get too excited?" She smiled as we all fidgeted sheepishly. "Guess so." She stood up, clapping her hands together. "Still, your Pokemon seem to be trusting you. It's a good sign."

"Already?"

"Yes. Likely, they know now that you will take care of them. That's important. Pokemon and humans live side by side in a mutual relationship. They help us, and we help them." She stood up and nodded. "Regardless, they're looking well. So, the reason I gave you them is-"

"It's for the Pokedex, right?"

"Oh, don't ruin the surprise."

"What surprise?" I deadpanned. The three of us recalled our Pokemon to their Pokeballs. "Again, we've known you for all our lives. I think we know the thing you've been screaming at for the past few weeks."

"The red encyclopedia thing, right?" Bianca asked. She smiled shyly as Professor Juniper nodded. "It'll record things about Pokemon, right?"

"Precisely!" Professor Juniper replied. She produced three from her pocket. "They'll record locations, and give you information we know on them. These ones allow you to write down your own observations, meaning that you'll fill out the pages more if you actually catch and interact with them. Though, I'm not expecting you to do all that. I mostly need habitats."

"Why?"

"Well, Unova is unique in many ways. We are isolated geographically, and we're also isolated culturally. Unova hasn't had many encounters with the other regions since the war almost twenty years ago."

"You're talking about the one between Unova and Kanto," I whispered. It was hard to not grow up hearing about it. "The one that was triggered by a Team Rocket scheme gone national embarrassment?"

"Yes." Professor Juniper nodded. "Unova is slowly beginning to end its isolationist tendencies, mostly because it's been two years since Team Rocket was defeated in Johto by Johto Champion Gabriella, and because of the weirdness that happened in Sinnoh at the same time with Team Galactic and Sinnoh Champion Penelope."

"So, what? We're going on the journey for the Pokedex to get an idea of the Pokemon native to Unova prior to migrants?"

"That, and to give us a better footing when Unova's Pokedex joins in the global Pokedex, and make negotiations go smoother." She grimaced. "Guess who's stuck on committees for this sort of thing. That's why I can't go myself, much as I'd like to."

"Wait, why?" I frowned a little. "Your area of expertise is…"

"Pokemon Origins, but I am the most well-known, and most decorated, Pokemon Professor of the Region, meaning I am Unova's answer to them putting Professor Oak on the Kanto diplomacy things." She shook her head. "Politics suck. Don't get involved."

"I don't think we're in danger of that," Cheren deadpanned. Both Bianca and I snickered. "So, you want us to travel to help you with all of that."

"Precisely," she replied. She smiled. "So? Will you?"

The three of us looked at each other and nodded before chorusing, "OF COURSE!"

"Oh, ow, echo…" she muttered, rubbing her ears. We smiled, unrepentant. "Well, you've given me the best possible answer, potential deafness aside." She handed us the Pokedexes and smiled. "So, I need to go to Accumula Town, so how about I meet you guys there?"

"Okay!" the three of us chorused again, this time at a more 'reasonable' volume. She laughed and shooed us out of the lab, in a silent command to go get packed.

As we stepped outside, though, Bianca's cheer faded, and it was easy to see why. She didn't want to go back to her place. She didn't want to deal with her dad.

"Hey, Bi?" I murmured. She looked at me. "You want to pack at my place? I think you've got some clothes there that you left."

"That… sounds good," she whispered. She nodded, closing her eyes. "Yes, it really does."

"Then you two head there, and I'll head to my house to finish packing," Cheren commented. His tense posture told me he was in a hurry to get out of the house too. "I'll meet you at the edge of town."

"Okay." Bianca took my hand, and the two of us ran to my place. We burst inside, ready to explain everything to Mom in a hurry. But, to my surprise, she already had two bags on the living room table, and was casually packing them.

"Sara called and told me what happened with Richard," she explained, still packing the bags. It took me a moment to remember those were Bianca's parent's names. "I figured Bianca would come here to pack. Sara dropped off some things she thought Bianca would want." She looked up and smiled. "I know you guys would want to pack yourselves, but considering Richard's temper, I… think you ought to get going. I'm sure Cheren's eager to leave his house too."

"Yeah, he is…" I murmured, a little dazed. "Mom…"

"Aw, sweetie." She came over and hugged us both. "You'll always be our precious babies, but everyone grows up. It's time for you three to spread your wings. You leave the grownups to deal with the grownups. Believe me, I've a few choice words to Stephen next time I see him." It took me a second to remember Stephen was Cheren's dad's name. "And that will be easier when I know Cheren won't overhear." She pulled away. "So, you three are traveling together, yes?"

"Yes," Bianca confirmed. She was crying again, but smiling. "I think so, anyway?" She glanced at me, and I nodded. "Yeah, we are."

"Good. Then I'll put some extra money in for hotel rooms," Mom replied with a smile. She returned to the bags. "I think that's the last of it, though." She pulled open a desk drawer and pulled out some rolls of money, hiding them among the clothes. "Bianca, double check you've got everything. Blake?" She turned to me and gestured for me to follow her. "Come with me."

"Okay," I replied. I left Bianca at the bags and followed Mom down the hall. "What is it?"

"Well, it's two things." She opened the door to her bedroom and rummaged through one of the drawers. Maggie rested on a pillow bed in the corner, watching us closely. "I've a Town Map that I want you to have, so that you don't get too lost." She pulled it out at last and passed it to me. "Here."

"Thanks." I tucked it under my arm. "What's the second thing?"

"Well, the second thing is from Maggie, actually." She gestured to Maggie, who promptly levitated over and dropped something in my arms. It took me a second to realize 'it' was actually a Deino. "You remember the egg Maggie brought back a few months ago?"

"Yes, I remember." I remembered being scared. Maggie had just disappeared for a bit, and I couldn't find her anywhere. Then she just appeared again, toting an egg. I'd just assumed she'd left to give birth or… however Pokemon egg stuff worked. "So, this little one hatched from that?"

"Yep~" Mom beamed, and Maggie looked rather pleased with herself. "She's not very old, but I think Maggie will feel much better if you had her with you."

"Aw, Maggie…" I tiptoed to kiss Maggie's nose and cuddled Deino. "I'll take good care of her." I needed a nickname for her, though. So, I thought through the Tale and picked one that sounded dark and cool. "How about I call you 'Nyx'?" Deino squeaked and rubbed against my neck. "Nyx it is!"

"And now Maggie feels better about you leaving her sight." Mom passed me a Pokeball, and I promptly used it to 'catch' Nyx before tucking it on my belt next to Kenshin's Pokeball. "I love you, sweetie. I won't ask you to call everyday, but I… would appreciate it if you did call."

"Of course." I hugged her tightly. "I love you too, Mom. Thanks so much."

"Be safe." She hugged me back, and her hands shook. I knew she was scared. But she was letting me go anyway. I loved her so much. "Go on. Find your path."

"I will!" I gave her a smile, hugged Maggie, and ran out of the room. Bianca heard me coming and passed me my bag as I came into the room. The two of us did last second checks, and I was amused to see Mom had put the Tale of the Heroes in my bag, before we raced out the door and headed for the edge of town.

Cheren was waiting for us, his bag slung over his shoulder. He smiled when he saw us, and without prompting, held out his hand. I seized it as I slowed to a stop and held out my free hand to Bianca. She took mine and squeezed, smiling broadly.

Then the three of us counted to 'three' and took our first step on our adventure, together. Just as it would always be.

Notes on Kenshin

An Oshawott with a 'mild' nature, based on the Pokedex's scanning of him. Didn't seem so 'mild' during those battles! Then again, he's very laidback when not fighting, so maybe he just likes a good battle.

Water type and has the ability 'Torrent', meaning his water moves power up when he's low on health.

He's super cuddly, and when he thinks no one is looking, he'll take the shell off his chest and practice sword strikes~ (So cute!)

Author's Note: Welcome to a Pokemon Black novelization. Blake, Cheren, and Bianca are all 16, to fit how their appearance fits an 'older' protag. (N will also be this age, despite Word of God stating he's older.) Pokemon having 'disappeared dad' syndrome certainly sets up for a lot of dead dads. I'm cheating a little with the Deino; you can't catch Deino until Victory Road. But given a certain future battle, I wanted a Hydreigon. Speaking of Hydreigons, despite their in-game reputation, they're actually one of the friendlier Pokemon in Pokemon-Amie. There's no mention of a 'war' in Pokemon Black, but Lt. Surge of Kanto is mentioned to be a war veteran and 'American', so I'm taking him to be a native of Unova, and that Kanto and Unova fought a war. There's also no mention of how long the 'time skip' between Gen IV and Gen V, so I arbitrarily assigned two years.

Next Chapter - Route One